West Ham, Leicester City and Newcastle United are eyeing up a potential loan-to-buy deal for £20 million Sporting Lisbon winger Gonzalo Plata, as reported by the Sun (29 November, page 65).
The Ecuador international admitted to Adaptacion a few months ago that he ‘dreams’ of playing Premier League football, and that dream could soon become a reality with the Primeira Liga leaders open to offers heading into the January transfer window.
Plata has played just 62 minutes of football this season for a Sporting side who have won seven of their eight fixtures in 2020/21.
The 20-year-old was even left out of the matchday squad for Saturday’s 2-1 triumph over Moreirense.
And it may be no coincidence that, just a few hours later, reports emerged suggesting that Plata could be available for offers.
Sporting would allegedly jump at the chance to sell for £20 million and are willing to farm the winger out on loan first in order to generate interest.
Leicester have been linked for a number of months and, according to the Sun, Brendan Rodgers’ side have been joined in the race by West Ham, Leicester and Brighton and Hove Albion.
A left-footed right winger who cut inside to brilliant effect while scoring a stunning goal in a 6-1 World Cup qualification victory over Colombia recently, a move to Leicester would come as a surprise given that the Foxes already have Cengiz Under to do a similar job.
West Ham, meanwhile, have Jarrod Bowen and Andriy Yarmolenko to drift in from the right flank.
That, then, may leave Newcastle as the most likely destination for a typical Mike Ashley signing; particularly with Allan Saint-Maximin struggling to rediscover his usual balletic brilliance.
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